Northanger Abbey: Alternative ending
by paolacrmarc
Summary: After been expelled from Northanger Abbey by Henry's father, Catherine finds herself confused about her own feelings.


Northanger Abbey – Fanfiction – Alternative ending

_This fanfiction takes place right after Chapter 29 of Northanger Abbey. It represents an alternative ending to the narrative. Catherine has been expelled from Northanger Abbey by General Tilney, without any clear explanation. She is been back home, in Fullerton, since a few days._

One week later the sudden expulsion of Northanger Abbey, Catherine's disposition was not naturally sedentary, nor had her habits been ever very industrious; but whatever might hitherto have been her defects of that sort, her mother could not but perceive them now to be greatly increased. She could neither sit still nor employ herself for ten minutes together, walking round the garden and orchard again and again, as if nothing but motion was voluntary; and it seemed as if she could even walk about the house rather than remain fixed for any time in the parlour. Her mind was racing furiously, so her body should at least try to keep pace with it.

As soon as she got home, a couple days before, Catherine felt at a complete loss. General Tilney, at first so kind to her, expelled her from the Abbey without any explanation. And she has not heard from Henry for so long. She felt worthless as she was heading back home, the cold of the air outside the carriage expressing her feelings of loneliness. But now Catherine was beginning to feel otherwise and that, somehow, made her uneasy. She could eat well, go out for walks with Mrs. Allen and even increase her interest for painting, music, and especially for literature. Since two days, Catherine has been reading a book called _The Ingenious Gentleman Sir Quixote of La Mancha_, which impressively reminded her of the days at Northanger Abbey.

A lot of things were changing in Catherine's mind. Actually, a lot of things have changed since she went to Bath, in the first place. She reminded her walks with Henry and Eleanor, their talks about landscapes, their vision of art. She reminded Henry's lucidity, the way he could so easily see through people's actions, especially Isabella's and Captain Tilney's. And suddenly, Catherine could realize her feelings for Henry Tilney were not exactly of love, but of admiration and gratitude. Thus, she understood everything was an illusion, just like the weird situations she lived at Northanger Abbey.

After about a week she was expelled from the Abbey, in a normal afternoon of good weather, while Catherine was reading one of Sir Quixote's adventures, she was surprised by the arrival of Henry Tilney, which let her a little impressed and curious. Certainly, she had not already forgotten all that happened with the man in Bath and Northanger, but she sure didn't expect his visit. She presented the man to her mother, who had let him in. After that, without hesitation and with certain abrupt, Catherine asked Henry, with wide eyes:

"Is Eleanor fine?!"

"Sure, sure. Eleanor is just fine, Miss Morland."

Tilney stood in the middle of the room. Mrs. Morland invited the young man to seat, offering him a cup of tea. After he was alone with Catherine, Tilney began to explain the reasons why he went to the lady's home, and his father, the General, represented the biggest part of it. Tilney, with his refined language, told her something that was not refined at all: General Tilney expelled Catherine from Northanger Abbey because she was not rich, like he thought she was. First, the young woman was relieved: she was not being accused of anything. But soon, she felt the blood rush through her face. Alas! How humiliating…

Catherine was angry and disappointed at the same time. She could not look directly to Henry, who was trying to capture her eyes, anxious for a sign of forgiveness. After a time o silence, he said, quietly:

"I came to ask you to apologize my father, but this is not the main reason."

The young lady looked deep in his eyes, and with a several face she just let him talk:

"I was wondering if you feel as comfortable with me as I feel with you and…".

Catherine has not seen Henry hesitate like this before. She looked a little surprised, widening her eyes a bit, and made a nod to encourage the man to keep talking:

"I was wondering if you… if you have feelings for me. I do have feelings for you. I really appreciated to spend that time with you, in the same home, at the Abbey…".

Catherine suddenly saw where the conversation was heading and everything became even more awkward. Certainly, this is not what she was waiting for. She could perfectly understand that the villain in the whole history was not Henry, but his father. She did not blame Henry for anything. Catherine could not remember a time in her life that she had felt so confused. She was confused about her feelings of admiration for Henry and anger for his father. So, surprising the young man, she decided to think about the possibility of the marriage, sending Henry back to his home, so she could think better.

Some days have passed since the proposal. Catherine was thinking a lot about what she could do. She knew that been a single woman in her society was not easy at all, but she did not love him enough to marry and money was not what she was looking for. Thus, she decided to choose the most correct thing to do. She sent a letter to Henry expressing her admiration and gratitude for him, but declining his proposal.

After a few months, Catherine and her brother James, who was finally feeling better after being abandoned by Isabella, had an idea. She knew about books; he, about carriages. So they started a new business of selling novels from door to door around the nearby cities. Bath included.


End file.
